VANCOUVER– Here’s what I wrote back in September of 2011, when one of the rarest occurrences in B.C. high school sports took place: The naming of a new head senior varsity football coach at East Vancouver’s Notre Dame Regional Secondary: “Seeing how it took 33 years for a head coaching vacancy to open up with the senior varsity football program at East Vancouver’s Notre Dame Secondary, you can believe Richard Scott when he tells you that the 17 seasons he spent as the school’s junior varsity head coach were served out of pure joy for his posting, and not as part of some hopeful apprenticeship. In the end, Scott was named last spring as the successor to the legendary George Oswald, who stepped down following the 2010 season after having won 14 B.C. titles as both an assistant and head coach over a 46-year tenure.Fast forward six seasons and Scott has his Jugglers playing for its first Subway Bowl title in 23 years Saturday as they face the Terry Fox Ravens in the triple A final at B.C. Place Stadium.Coach Scott took the time to field a few questions earlier this week from your erstwhile agent:

Q: First question is not so much about this year’s senior varsity team as it is about the incredible opportunity to build traction program wide, based on the fact that your senior and Grade 8 teams are both in the finals as a neat bookend to this season. What can it mean to the seniors, the JVs and the Grade 8s to have this shared week of preparation? A: The 8’s having a tangible example of what they can accomplish through their careers as seniors, the JV’s wanting very much to leave their mark as the seniors are doing, and the seniors feeling a sense of pride in the fact that they are setting a template for the rest of the program. What seems to be a fact, is that if you are going to build a successful ‘program’ then everyone has to be on the same page at all levels. That is what I have been trying to do, and I think we are finally there. Does that always turn into championships? No. But it is the best way to build all three team towards a common goal. These seniors were Grade 8 champions. Then they made the JV final, but came up short. Lesson learned, each level is harder to win at, and the triple A varsity level is for sure the hardest to win. With both those teams in, we can see a structure and continuity of learning that will not only help the younger grades grow and achieve, but will allow the future Jugglers come into a program that has specific targets of accomplishment.

Q: What have you learned as a coach about perseverance as you have steadily built the senior varsity into a championship contender? Has it been every bit as painstaking as you imagined when you succeeded George Oswald, and what kept you so focused through the whole process? A: What kept me focused was the process. Trying to get all three teams on the same page offensively, defensively and specials. Not painful but challenging. Succeeding George was never daunting, as I do not worry about others opinions. I do what I think is best for the program as a whole.

Q: Is it your opinion that great players can truly elevate others in the program, that their value can’t be measured solely by their on-field production? I ask this in context of not only your Steven Moretto but Fox’s Jeremie Kankolongo. Do players like that have a value in terms of fortifying a roster by making everyone realize that they can make a difference on the field through their actions? A: Those two guys have absolutely done that this season. Take a look at South Delta when (running back/linebacker) Grant McDonald got healthy. They became a completely different team from early on when he was hurt. Kank is their tank, and you see the value of his presence on the other players when they are on the field. Steve is a great player with the ball, but I have loved the fact that he also demands more of his teammates when he is not on the field. It can’t just be about game day.

Q: You told me that your team practiced so well this past week leading up to New West. Is the process of trying to achieve the best string of practices possible filled with a lot of unknowns, or do you have some basic philosophies on how that kind of intangible energy is best achieved over multiple days leading up to a game? A: Practice done right is a delicate balance of reviewing a few past mistake or two, viewing the look of the upcoming opponent, pushing who needs it, resting who has to have it, and repping out what’s most important so that by Friday’s practice, there are very few corrections that need to be made. If you’re correcting things on Friday, you’re in trouble.

Q: If there was one player on your team that you could clone and have two of, and this cloned player could play in all three phases of the game, who would he be? A: That’s easy to answer Steve to, but two Woodman’s would be awesome or two Mario Marra’s would do it, just because of their high football IQ.

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